Special Collections
High Plains
The High Plains area is part of the Southern Great Plains. It is separated from the Rolling Plains by the Llano Estacado Escarpment and dissected by the Canadian River Breaks in the northern part. Notable canyons include Tule and Palo Duro along the Caprock. This relatively level plateau contains many shallow siltation depressions, or playa lakes, which sometimes cover as much as 40 acres and contain several feet of water after heavy rains. These depressions support unique patterns of vegetation within their confines.The upland soils are dark brown to reddish brown, mostly deep, neutral to calcareous clay and clay loams in the north to sandy loams and sands in the south. Caliche is present under many soils at various depths, especially on the Potter series. The original vegetation of the High Plains was variously classified as mixed prairie, shortgrass prairie, and in some locations on deep, sandy soils as tallgrass prairie. Blue grama, buffalograss, and galleta (Hilaria jamesii) are the principal vegetation on the clay and clay loam sites.
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scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |
Celtis laevigata | Sugar Hackberry Texas Sugarberry Sugarberry Southern Hackberry Lowland Hackberry Hackberry Palo Blanco | |
Celtis laevigata var. reticulata | Netleaf Hackberry Netleaf Sugar Hackberry Western Hackberry Sugar Hackberry Texas Sugarberry Palo Blanco Acibuche | |
Cercocarpus montanus | Alderleaf Mountain Mahogany Silverleaf Mountain Mahogany Mountain Mahogany | |
Cercocarpus montanus var. argenteus | Silver Mountain Mahogany Silverleaf Mountain Mahogany True Mountain Mahogany Mountain Mahogany | |
Cephalanthus occidentalis | Common Buttonbush Buttonbush Button Willow Honey Bells Honeybells Honey Balls Honeyballs Button-bush | |
Chloris virgata | Feather Fingergrass Showy Chloris | |
Cirsium texanum | Texas Thistle | |
Corydalis aurea | Scrambled Eggs Golden Corydalis | |
Corydalis curvisiliqua | Curvepod Fumewort Scrambled Eggs Golden Smoke Curvepod | |
Cooperia drummondii | Evening Rain Lily Evening Star Rain Lily | |
scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |